Learn More About Boondocking

The History Of Boondocking In The United States

The word we now use for “boondock” (verb: boondocking), came from the Tagalog word for mountain (bundók). It worked it’s way into the American language through the Spanish-American war. For about 377 years, Spain ruled over the Philippine islands. It began on Easter Sunday March, 31 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross on a hill and declared the chain of islands to belong to the King of Spain. Fast-forward to 1898, due to a conflict in Cuba, Spain and America went to war. While fighting that war with Spain, American forces took control of the Phillipines. For just shy of four years, America had a military governor controlling the islands. After a small fight with revolutionaries, America eventually turned over control to civilians. The troops who returned home to America, brought the term boondock as a way to define something out in the sticks… out in the boondocks. Over the years, that term has been adopted to mean many things, including the concept of camping on the edge of town (in the boondocks). Today, it is universally used by most people to define staying in a vehicle, normally on the edge of town, but now it could even mean a Wal-Mart parking lot in town.

Those who who like to keep a clear separation of the term will divide the concept in to two words. Boondocking holding the older concept of camping in the sticks or edge of a town and Blacktopping to define sleeping urban areas on streets. They really are two different concepts, so it does make sense to have two words that describe a similar (but not the same) concept.

The Great Depression And Boondocking

A few decades after the word boondocking made its way into the English language, America suffered the Great Depression. Families lost their homes and farms and were forced to load their belongings onto old farm trucks and vehicles and leave. They wondered around the country looking for refuge. If you look back at some of the old pictures from the Great Depression, you can see vehicles stacked with every possession these families owned. Many of these were farmers who’s soil blew away during the Dust Bowl. These families created a trail down Route 66 towards California called the Sod Caravan.

The truth is, American’s have been involved in boondocking since it’s inception. What else would you call the horse and wagons the settled the west? The nomadic lifestyle and living out of wagons, model Ts and now RVs is just as much a part of the American history as anything else. Many Americans aren’t happy settling in one area. We like to move!

Getting Started Boondocking And What To Expect

Boondocking can be fun and stressful. It really depends on the community you are staying in. If those communities aren’t abusive and don’t create a lot of rules, laws, and ordinances to stop you, it can be enjoyable. The problem is, if you don’t know what to expect unless you do a lot of research and even then, it isn’t always clear. Sometimes you don’t learn the harsh realities of boondocking until you wake up and find tickets on your windshield or a cop knocking on your door. This has lead some people to adopt a concept called stealth camping. By ditching the RV for a van, box truck, or SUV, they can slide into areas were they blend in. A box truck will likely need to find the industrial part of town, but once they do, they often blend into all the other box trucks in that area. Vans and SUVs provide a chance to stay within normal streets without getting noticed.

Don’t be confused. The cops will almost certainly know you are living in your vehicle. The benefit of stealth camping is preventing NIMBYs (not in my backyard) neighbors from causing you problems. As long as there aren’t city rules or laws preventing it, most cops will look the other way. That is, unless a neighbor calls the cops. Then they are forced to intervene. It is getting more difficult to boondock/blacktop within city limits. It’s still possible and there are good spots, but most people keep those spots secret because others will mess them up. Especially YouTubers who broadcast their vanlife/rv life to the world. It doesn’t take a lot of new people showing up before neighbors get pissed. I had a spot I loved. It was on the edge of a residential area, but still in the industrial part of town. I used it off and on for two years with no problem. As soon as I shared it with someone else, they told their friends and those friends further spread the word and within a month or two, the spot was ruined. Every time I went back I had a ticket on my windshield. If you find a spot, don’t share it with anyone. It’s a sad reality of the lifestyle.

I mention it in one of my other post, but there is a difference between a group of people who enjoy the lifestyle, like to work, and travel. They consider themselves nomadic. Then there is another group. This is full of drug addicts who have no desire to work and no respect for anyone. They dump their sewage tanks on the streets and behave like trash. There was a guy near my “secret” spot that would put out his awning, put all his bicycles on the sidewalk (he must have had 4 or 5 bikes), set up a bbq outside his door and even opened these little awnings that were on the street side windows. He had no respect for anyone. It is people like this who have pushed cities to start making boondocking difficult. It’s the same reason most Wal-Mart locations don’t allow overnight parking anymore. I was staying at a Home Depot, who’s manager was cool about boondockers, and noticed several people abuse the store. They would take shopping carts and fill them with trash. They would leave buckets of human waste in the parking lot. For the life of me, I can’t understand what these people are thinking? Don’t they know they’re ruining this for everyone, including themselves? The problem is bad. So if you see a store manager ask you to leave, be respectful and understand they are dealing with the scum of our society. Unfortunately you are being lumped into that group because those store owners (and cities) can’t tell the difference.

Boondocking In Rural Areas

This is the truest form of boondocking. It’s where the term came from. By getting out in the outskirts of town, most people aren’t bothered by you. In fact, it is legal in many locations. Most state parks allow you to boondock up to 14 days at a time. BLM land usually has the same policy. Some BLM land will allow you to stay for up to 30 days or longer with special permission. They are usually defined as LTVA (long term visitor areas). Even the locations that don’t allow more than 14 day stays, generally only require you to move a few miles and stay there for 14 days, before allowing you to come back to. The state and federal lands are public lands. You have a right to use them. With that said, so does everyone else. If you stay in one place too long, than others don’t get a chance to use the same spot. You don’t own the land! Share it. The rules make it more enjoyable for everyone. A nice benefit of boondocking in rural areas is the isolation typically allows you to run your generator or play your music as loud as you want without disturbing people. If you do have other people camping near you, it’s common courtesy to be polite and turn the music down after dark. The awesome part of this lifestyle, is anyone can turn their keys and drive away to a more suitable spot.

Blacktopping At Truck Stops And Rest Areas

Most truck stops will allow you to stop for the night. They aren’t usually okay with longer stays, but this is a general statement. Some truck stops are so large or slow they don’t care how long you stay. It’s always a good idea to ask the manager about the rules if you plan to stay longer than a night.

Wherever you plan to blacktop (boondocking on asphalt) is almost always private property and many of these locations can and will tow your vehicle if you abuse their policy. It’s a good idea to avoid places like Las Vegas. Many of those truck stops have a zero tolerance for overnight parking for anyone other than big rigs. They will tow your home and leave you struggling to pay for the impound fees.

Rest areas are another great solution for people who are traveling. It is usually the rule that you can stop at any rest area for 8 hours at a time. Most areas are patrolled by state police and they will chase you off if you start abusing their rules. They could even give you tickets. The rule of thumb for any blacktop/boondocking within parking lots is to stay for no more than 8 hours and leave the place the way you found it.

Final Thoughts On Boondocking

Once you start to get more comfortable with the rules of boondocking, you can relax into the lifestyle. I got comfortable enough to put on my pajamas and treat the situation just as I would my own home. The rules or common courtesy is for the benefit of everyone. If you are living this lifestyle to be free, you want these opportunities to be available for you. Boondocking is an awesome way to save money or stretch out the little money that you have. If you want to learn more about this or other ways to camp for free or cheap, check out my article called “free and cheap camping”.